Talking Points: NBA Finals & More

All men love to talk sports, but few of them have the time to stay on top of the latest transactions and trends. That’s why we’ve created Talking Points, a handy cheat sheet designed to help you hold your own in any water cooler discussion. We’ll tell you what you need to know and why it matters and we’ll even provide you with a few conversational starters to help you impress your friends and colleagues.

In this week’s column, we’ll examine the heavily hyped NBA Finals, the beginning of a Motor City makeover and the remarkable rise of Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.

deja vu all over again

What you need to know

Irish eyes are smiling in Boston where the Celtics are facing the Lakers in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987. The best-of-seven series promises to feature all of the drama and none of those nut-hugging short shorts that made previous Lakers-Celtics showdowns so memorable during the 1980s.

Why it matters

This is the dream matchup the NBA has been waiting for to help reverse a nearly decade-long ratings slump and return the league to the glory years of Bird and Magic. The series also has a special significance for Boston forward Paul Pierce who grew up in Inglewood, California, just a deep three-pointer away from the old Los Angeles Forum. "As a kid, I hated the Celtics," Pierce admitted. "I'm going back home to play against my team that I grew up watching. It's a dream come true, man, just thinking about it." Not surprisingly, Pierce credits the Lakers-Celtics rivalry with inspiring him to become a professional basketball player. "That's what pretty much got me started in basketball, growing up in Los Angeles, watching the Lakers and the Celtics, and it's ironic, just being a Celtic, growing up, now you're playing against the Lakers in the Finals,” he said.

Talking points

Boston beat the Lakers both times they met this season, winning by an average of 16 points.

Lakers guru Phil Jackson has the chance to surpass Celtics legend Red Auerbach by winning his 10th title as a head coach.

Boston and L.A. have met 10 times in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning 8 of those matchups.

The last time the Celtics and the Lakers met in the Finals, Three Men and a Baby was the top-grossing movie at the box office, Street Fighter was dominating local arcades and Michael Jackson was still black.

motown makeover

What you need to know

The Detroit Pistons have canned Head Coach Flip Saunders one week after his team was eliminated by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cleveland native had one year remaining on the four-year deal he signed in 2005. "Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success we have had throughout the last three regular seasons," President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars, said. "However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change."

Why it matters

Job layoffs are nothing new in Detroit, but Saunders’ dismissal is just the beginning for a team poised to radically redefine itself in the off-season. Don’t be surprised if several of Detroit’s veterans are shown the door as Dumars attempts to transform the Pistons into a younger and decidedly more athletic outfit. Rasheed Wallace, for one, is in the last year of his contract and will almost certainly be dealt, and the front office has also been listening to offers for Richard Hamilton, a three-time All-Star shooting guard and face mask model who is generally regarded as having the highest trade value of the team’s veterans. "I'll make a significant trade," Dumars said. "We have a core group of guys here that for the first time in six years I'm letting teams in the league know I'll do a deal... I'm open for business."